President Park Geun-hye attended the 2016 Global Saemaul Leadership Forum in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, and offered words of encouragement to global leaders from the New Community Movement, or Saemaul Undong, for combating poverty with the Saemaul paradigm of rural development. She took a look at the farming machinery on exhibit and toured the promotional halls for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

During her speech, the president spoke about the passion and dedication of a Saemaul leader who helped lift Pyeongchang's Chahang-ri village out of poverty. "This area is now the venue for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, as well as a destination for agricultural tourism. This miracle is just one example of the many success stories that have been built in Korea today."

"We started with 13 countries back in 2013, and this year we've been asked to provide Saemaul Undong training to over 52 countries around the world. The movement has spread to Asia, Africa, and even to Central America, and all the affected regions have made great progress over a short period of time," said the president, referencing success stories from Laos' Hakai, Uganda's Kiboha and Vietnam's Tam Nong villages.

"To meet the specific needs of each country, our government will provide more specialized consulting services so that our partners will be able to push forward with their own Saemaul Undong movement in the most practical way possible," she said. "We will increase our efforts at the fulcrum by expanding training sessions, creating standard curriculums, and providing continuous support for leaders who have completed the Saemaul program."





After the opening ceremony, President Park accompanied ministers from Uganda and East Timor and Saemaul leaders from Tanzania and Nepal on a tour of the exhibition halls, where related government agencies showcased the history of the Saemaul Undong, as well as agricultural products and farm machinery. They looked around a promotional hall for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, too.

While on the tour, the president told Ugandan Minister of Local Government Tom Butime that she was very moved by the passionate Saemaul Undong leaders she met during her visit to Uganda in May. To this, the Ugandan minister replied that, "The Saemaul Undong has increased the quality of life for Ugandan citizens."

Following President Park's visit to Uganda in May this year, the Saemaul movement has spread across the East African country. Twenty new villages have adopted Saemaul farming methods, and 15 additional community credit cooperatives will be in operation by the end of the year.

President Park asked East Timorese Minister of State Administration Dionisio Soares Babo about the impact the Saemaul Undong has had in his country. To this, the minister replied that, "There has been a lot of struggle after our civil war, and the movement helped to bring communities together and raise citizens' income."

Finally, the president said that she hopes that leaders would use their influence to expand the Saemaul Undong in their respective countries, and to help spread the movement to other parts of the world, as well.

By Wi Tack-whan, Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: Cheong Wa Dae
whan23@korea.kr